Leaf-burning cart.



PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908. C. V. HEMENWAY & L. P. KIRK.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

LEAF BURNING CART.

APPLICATION FILED r113. 23. 1907.

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No. 876,180. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908. O. V. HEMENWAY & L. P. KIRK.

LEAF BURNING CART. APPLICATION FILED r1113. 28. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w vtneoaeo foraminous metal. lNhile we prefer to make.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

COLLIER- V. HEMENWAY AND LEWIS F. KIRK, OF POOANTIGO HILLS, NEW YORK.

LEAF-BURNING CART.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that we, COLLIER V. HEM'EN- WAY and L'nwrs F. Kmx, citizensof the United States, and residents of Pocantico Hills, in the county ofWestchestcr and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulLeaf-Burning Cart, of which the following is a specification.

The subject of our inventlon is a two wheeled cart, having ahopper-shaped box or body, constructed with sides, ends and bottom ofopenwork metal permitting free circulation of air and adapted to receiveand burn frame on which the openwork body is mounted and to otherdetails hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that the invention may be fully understood we will proceed todescribe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure1 is a side elevation of a leaf burning cart illustrating the invention,with the near wheel omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is afront view thereof. Fig. 4. is a plan of the agitator, detached. Rig. 5is a detail view of the screen or shield. Fig. 6 v

is a detail bottom view of a portion of the axle and a device formounting the wheel journals thereon. Fig. 7 is a detail viewillustrating the 'mode of forming and mounting the axle supports ashereinafter particularly described. Fig. 8 is a. detail view'of afragment of a sheet of expanded metal of which we prefer toconstructthebody or box of ourimproved cart. I I

The flared sides 1, front 2 and back 3, and the bottom 4 of thehopper-shapedbox are preferably made of expanded metal, that is to sayof sheet metal with alternating slits so that when drawn or expandededgewlse it will assume the form of a sheet of reticulated wheels 13 aremounted.

. these network-sheets of slit and expanded sheet metal, such asillustrated in Fig.8, they may be made of heavy wire netting or even ofother forms of perforated sheet metal.

The upper edges of the network sheets 1, 2 and 3 forming the sides andends of the box may be connected by bolts, rivets or wire with solidsheet metal edge pieces 5 to impart the necessary rigidity and strength,and their vertical edges are connected to angle iron posts 6 forming thefour corners of the box. The slit and expanded metal sheets of which thesides and ends are formed may be made with strengthening edge strips,integral with the expanded sheet, or such edge strips may be formedseparately and secured thereto as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Theposts 6 are bent out at bottom as shown at 6 and bolted or'riveted tothe longitudinal members 7, 7, of a horizontal draft frame connected infront by a round hand bar 8, at back by an angle iron crossbar 9, andaatthe front of and beneath the box by other transverse angle ironbars orbraces 10.

The axle 11 is formed of an angle iron bar with the angle upward soas'to provide on its under side a channel for the rece tion of thejournals or spindles 12 on whic the In order to en port the box or bodyof the cart firmly and at a stru cted as il ustrated in the detailView,"

Fig. 7. These bracing standards are formed of angle iron bars notchedhalf way across in the center and slit. longitudinally on the angle, toa suitable distance on each side of the mid-length so that the bar maybe readily bent transversely with its ends on about'a right angle toeach other and the center part curved to form a seat for the axle 11 andthe wheel spindle 12 within it, while the 11 s or lu s 15 formed by thetransverse and ongitucinal cuts are bent transversely to form a' bearingonthe inclined up er sides of the inverted V-shaped axle. A olt 16passing vertically through the center of each bent standard 14 andthrough the spindle 12 and axle 11 rigidly confines these parts togetherin a secure and inexpensive manner.

The draft frame and body are su ported in front by a leg 17 formed of abarqwnt in V-shape bolted at its upper ends to the horizontal draft bars7, 7 and an inclined'brace V-shaped leg 17.

tion from the burning mass.

bar 18 bolted at top to the center of the .-transverse bar 10 at frontof the cart box,

and at bottom to the bent lower end of the From the bottom of thesupporting leg thus formed a spur 19 projects downward so as to anchorthe cart when at rest on a hillside.

Beneath the openwork bottom 4 of the box and between the V-shapedstandards 14, just above the axle 11 we suspend a shield pan 20 bychains or links 21 at the four cor ners to revent ashes from the burningleaves fal ing directly on the lawn andalso to serve, as a shield orscreen to protect the surface of'the lawn from direct heat radia- The anor shield 20 has an upturned .strengt ening flange 22 on each side andin front, while the rear end is unobstructed to dumping of small stonesor ot er unconsumed matter which may pass through. the meshes of theopenwork bottom.- This dumping of stones or' other incombustible matteris effected b sim ly tipping the cart backward and the exib e suspensionof the pan 20 permits it to yield in a forward direction, as well asvertically so as to-protect it from injury when the back of the cartcomes in contact with the ground. The suspension of the shield 20 belowthe bottom of the cart I bodywith a considerable space between them saidspace, resulting in the continual cooling induces a constant circulationof air through and scattering of the leaf ash over the lawn to fertilizethe grass. The circulation of air over and under the shield keepsthe'shield comparatively cool. The scattering of the leaf ash andcooling of the shield are facilitated byany wind that may be blowing.

In order to expose'the mass of burning leaves to the action of the airand promote,

rapid and complete combustion, even though the leaves may be damp ormatted,\ we

employ an agitator'23 consisting of asheet of reticulated or ex andedmetal, such as employed for. the si es, and bottom of the box, stretchedon an angle iron frame and 'mounted on a lifting bar 24 projectinghorizontall forward and-terminating in front in a handf; 25. The liftingbar 24 has a sliding and a fulcrum bearing on the front bottom bar 10 ofthe box so that b bearing down on the handle 25 the mass o burningleaves may be lifted to admit air beneath'it and the agitator may beslid back and forward and transversely and may be oscillated on ahorizontal aXis thus imparting most effective 4 agitation to thel massof burning leaves and exposing all parts to the action of the air.

In operation? the shaker or agitator may be manipulated constantly, oronly periobically, as conditions may require, while the cart is movedover the.lawn, and the 'dried leaves will be consumed as fast as theycan be loaded intothe cart from windrows .a beneficial effect on thelawn ermit the eve/18o described can thus completely dispose of leavesas fast as raked up by ten or a dozen men. The ashes being very lightare almost entirely dissipated and scattered by thewind, and being soscattered have only Any residuum passing through the openwork bottom tothe suspended .pan 20 is very small in amount and together with anysmall stones or other foreign matter may be conveniently dumped in a.rubbish receptacle.

While we prefer to mount the shield above the axle as shown, we wouldhave it understood that said shield may be mounted beneath the axle andbe suspended in this position either from the body or from the axle inany suitable manner without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention the following is what we claim asnew therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination in a wheeled vehicle, of. a hopper-shaped foraminousbox or body mounted thereon, and a shield su1.)ported beneath and spacedfrom the bottom of. the box or body and separated therefrom at allpoints by a free air space.

2. In a leaf burning cart, the combination of the axle mounted uponwheels, the foraminous body mounted upon and spaced above the axle, anda shield-pan suspended fromthe body by flexible supports and restingabove the. axle spaced from the bottom of the body and free to movelongitudinally with relation thereto.

3; In a leaf burning cart, the combination of a body formed with sidesand bottom of .foraminous or open-work metal, a pair of wheels and drafta paratus by which said cart may be move over the lawn, and a screen ofim erforate .material suspended loosely and reely beneath the body andseparated therefrom to ermit relative movement of said screen am exposeit above and below to the circulation of air.

4. The combination of the axle mounted heap or suitable upon wheels, theforaminous box or body,

the standards between the axle and the body for mounting the latter uponthe former, the

.shield-pan, flexible supports connecting the shield-pan with the bodyand supporting the pan above the axle bottom of the body.

5. in a leaf burning cart, the combination of a foraminous box or body,with an agitator consisting of an openwork metal frame and spaced fromthe mounted upon a lifting and operating bar or handle, said frame beingsupported within the foraminous box or body upon the bottom thereof withsaid bar or handle projecting through one of the walls of the box orbody .upon which it bears or fulcrums, whereby a burning mass of leavesin the body may be lifted and agitated, as set forth.

6. In a leaf burning cart the combination of a body having sides andbottom of foraminous or open-work material, a pair of wheels on whichsaid body is supported so as to be capable of tipping backward and ascreen I having strengthening flanges at its sides and front looselysuspended beneath the bottom of the body and capable of shifting inaforward direction to protect said screen from injury when the body istilted backward in contact with the ground.

7'. The combination of theangle iron axle 11, the wheel s indles 12, thewheels 15, the foraminous boy, the V-shaped bent angle iron standards 14embracing the axle 11 and spindles 12 and rigidly secured to andsupporting the body, integral lips or lugs 15 projecting from standards14 and engaging axle 11, and pins or bolts 16 passing throughaxle 11,spindles -12 and standards 14 for rigidly securing them together.

8. The combination of an axle of inverted V form, wheel journals securedin the ends of said axle, a draft frame and standards of bent angle ironby which the draft frameis supported on the axle.

9. In a leaf burning cart the combination of a body of foraminousmaterialda draft frame on which the said body is supported, an axle ofinverted V form, wheel journals fixed in the ends of said axle and apair of standards made of angle iron bent transversely and without-turned .lips by which the draft frame is mounted on the axle.

COLLIER v. HEMENWAY. LEWIS F. KIRK.

Witnesses:

JOHN M. MALoNEY, JOHN H. SEE.

